Second Date
by WishedTwiceOver
Summary: Short story. I was in the mood to write a lil' bit of romantic fluff, so I used cartoon characters from MTR. : Rated K just to be safe, as there's sort of a hinted make-out scene to follow? I don't know...Just covering the bases.


Second Date

It was only their second date, and Franny found herself fighting back thoughts of a more permanent relationship. And she was not a girl ruled by sentiment. No sir, she was not one to be swept away by a few kind gestures and poetic compliments. Yet here she was, wondering what their children would look like. Her date appeared to be enjoying himself, but, unlike her, she figured he was probably _not_ wondering what the future might hold for their relationship in the next eight months (or years). This irked her a little. He seemed to be so nonchalant about them being together, as if he didn't worry whether it was a long term or short term affair. She couldn't know that his calm demeanor rested in the knowledge that he would, someday, marry her. Instead, she just assumed he was a typical guy—living in the now, not thinking about the future, not concerned with the notion of getting married and having children. She reminded herself that, if this was indeed the case (as she was sure it was),then that was perfectly acceptable. This was only their second date, after all.

The night was beautiful. No one could ask for a clearer, more star-filled sky, and Lewis, or Cornelius as most people called him these days, hoped this might set the mood for, perhaps, if he was lucky, a first kiss. True, they hadn't been going out long, but he and Franny went way back as friends, starting with his introduction to her via time warp (of which he swore never to tell her) and their meeting in an elementary school science fair. Trying to get a feel for how likely she was to oblige him with so much as a peck on the cheek, he noticed that his new girlfriend seemed a bit nervous.

"Hey," he said, cautiously putting his arm around her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yes...Of course." She smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just asking," he said. "It's, uh, kind of chilly tonight. Thought you might be a little cold."

"Well, only a little...but we can go inside if you'd like. You have a really nice fireplace."

"And I make _great_ hot chocolate," he added.

"By hand or with some crazy new invention?" She asked.

"Oh, the normal method, of course. Hot chocolate could never be made any other way."

"Well some people might say that about PB & J," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He just chuckled and shrugged. They reached his front porch and stomped the still powdery snow from their feet. Lewis opened the door.

"After you."

"Thank you." She started to walk through, then stopped, then turned around. Lewis wondered what she was doing. Was she going to stomp on the rug again? As if his parents really cared about a little bit of water on the floor.

"Um...Franny?"

She put her hand over his and closed the door.

"Lewis," she said in a tone that sent a shiver up his spine (and not just because he didn't hear that name too often these days). "There's something I want to do before we go in."

His eyes widened. Was this it? Was this the moment? He nodded but stayed silent.

"I want to make sure we're on the same page," she said.

'Oh great,' he thought. 'She meant she had something she wanted to _say...'_

She continued, pretending not to notice the disappointment he couldn't help hiding in his face. "I know it's only been a week, but we've known each other a lot longer than that—as friends—and, I really think it's only fair for you to know that I...really like you. I mean, I feel a connection to you, and..." she trailed off for a few seconds, and bit her lip as if nervous about what she was going to say. "It scares me a little bit. I just need to know that I'm not crazy, that you feel the same, or at least similar."

Was she serious? How could she even wonder?

"Yes, Franny," he held her right hand in his. "I definitely feel the same." He paused. "Should we go in now?" She smiled.

"Not yet."

He looked confused, and she took in that expression with slightly guilty pleasure.

"Okay..." he said. "Is there...something else, then?" She nodded.

"I told you there was something I wanted to _do_ before we went back inside, not just something I wanted to _say._"

So he wasn't reading too much into her word choice. 'But, wait,' he thought. 'Does that mean we're going to—' She cut him off (unwittingly) in mid-pondering, with a kiss that was more than worthy of that beautiful night. It was more than he had dared to hope for. They stood there, just outside the door, for a good five minutes, stopping only for the occasional intake of oxygen. Afterwards, as he stood staring at her in a daze, she put a few loose hairs back in place and said softly, "I think we should go in now."

"I think you're right," he said, opening the door again. "Hot chocolate?"

Franny gave him a seductive look. "Can we drink it in your room?"

He laughed, and blushed slightly. "I don't know," He rubbed his chin in mock indecision. "Can we? We might get...distracted."

"Let's find out," she said with a wink, as they went inside.


End file.
